4 ways to start writing awesome lyrics
Writing lyrics can seem like an impossible task. We’ve all got our favourite lyrics that get stuck in our heads; lyrics that just seem to speak to us as individuals or light up something within us when we hear them. Lyrics that we put on a pedestal and think “Wow. I could never write something like that”. But *spoiler alert* you can.
Like any skill you wish to master, to get better and improve you need to learn how to evaluate, be subjective and practice. I know - easier said than done - so in this blog we’re going to look at 4 ways to get that creativity flowing and start writing awesome lyrics:
Listen and evaluate your favourite songs
One of the best ways to start writing better lyrics is to begin listening to your favourite songs and really analysing how the lyrics are written and why they resonate with you. By listening first we can begin to identify trends which help the lyrics speak to us and use these as a reference point for our own lyrics going forward.
To get started here are 5 questions to think about while listening:
What genre is the song?
This is important as you might find different genres use different lyrical trends. For example, in a heavy metal song more than often you find more extreme themes and language to say a folk song which is softer in its approach.
What themes do the lyrics cover?
Is it love, anger, war, friendship, denial etc? Write as many down as you can hear throughout the song. Does it change at any point?
What type of language do the lyrics use?
Is the language more metaphorical or straight up? Do they use expletives or idioms, or does it feel like it’s coming from someone’s diary?
Is there a rhyming pattern?
Are they using rhyming couplets, more of an ABAB rhyming structure or are they throwing it all out? Is this specific to parts of the songs?
Do the lyrics repeat at all?
Is it just one line repeated or are whole sections repeated - why is this? Are the lyrics here particularly prominent?
Once you have done the above evaluation on your chosen songs (I’d recommend a minimum of 5 songs) you can look back and see if you can spot any trends. For example, “they all dot metaphors throughout but most of the time the lyrics are very obvious what it’s about” or “all of these songs use a very similar rhyming pattern and repeat a single or double lyric in the chorus”. Write as many findings down as you can so you have your very own lyric writing manifesto to refer back to.
2. Get to know your songwriting themes and flesh them out
Now we have an idea of what our favourite artists are doing so we can begin building our own. The main body of lyric writing is the theme of the song - what is it about at its core? - so start keeping a list of themes handy to choose from. Yes this can sound more like lyric writing admin, but having something to stimulate our creativity can be a real aid and you can always refer to your findings to get started.
Once you have your chosen theme write down as many things as you can think of to do with that theme. So for example, if my theme was “feeling positive about life” I might write down specific words such as “winner” or “A+” or phrases/metaphors such as “the only way is up”. I would also look to write down any personal memories or scenarios I’ve been in that made me feel that way.
From there I can then pick out certain words or phrases that I like and repeat the process again, strengthening my theme even further. For example, if I picked out “A+” from above I might start adding in phrases such as “blood type” and “I need a doctor” or “No time for B-ing Negative”, fleshing out the idea and adding an extra element to it. You could also do the same with a memory and go deeper within to really get to the core of what happened, what was said and how that made you feel. *Warning* - this can often end in tears but it’s where all the good stuff comes out!
Now you’ve got a whole selection of lyrics right in front of you the fun can begin - piecing it together to fit your melody.
3. Start writing on the go
As songwriters you never know when the fire will strike, so make sure you're prepared. Often this can be in the most mundane situations such as a bus ride, so carry around a dedicated notebook (or note on your phone for the digital writers out there) and a pen at all times and write down interesting things you hear or see throughout the day.
These could be things you’ve overheard, phrases that pop into your head, lyrics from other songs you really like, song titles, themes - anything that you like. You might find a whole song rolls out of you or just a phrase or two, but by having a dedicated place to get all these things down you’ll always have something to refer back to when you’re sat down and ready to write.
4. Practice makes progress - keep writing!
As with all practice repetition is our friend and lyric writing is no different. The more you do it the more your creativity will flow and you’ll start to connect with yourself more quickly and efficiently. By repeating the process you’ll be able to find your own personal style and lyric writing will become second nature, so make sure you carve some regular time out for it and evaluate the lyrics you’ve written (perhaps against your manifesto) - you deserve to celebrate your wins!
In conclusion, lyric writing can seem like a mystery but it’s something we are all capable of. However in order to really step up your game you need to listen, learn the processes that work for you and repeat, repeat, repeat. That’s the key to awesome lyric writing!
Get in touch if you want to talk more about lyric writing or songwriting.
